Rail anchor



Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

HAROLD G. OF PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE P & M COMPANY,

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

` aan. aNcHon.-

Original applcation led Hay 17, 1922, Serial No. 561,603. Divided andthis application filed March 14, 1923.y Serial No. 624,930.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD G. VVARR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Park Ridge, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Anchors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail anchoring devices adapted to resist thetendency of railroad rails to creep longitudinally.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved one-piecerail anchor which may be easily applied to or removed from the ange of arail without danger of subjecting the anchor to excessive strains, andwhich will be maintained in its applied position b spring pressure ofthe anchor.

A s ci c object ofthe inventionv is the provis1on of a rail anchorhaving a -jaw adapted to be driven into tight engagement with one angeof the rail base, and having a 4body which extends under the rail baseand engages the other edge thereof, the body belng provided with arelatively flexible portion .adapted to flex downwardly during theapplication of the anchor to the rail so as to relieve the jaw portionof the anchor of excessive strains.

A more specic object of the invention is the provision of a rail anchorof the above character that can be conveniently manufactured of sheetmetal so as to provide one or more relatively rigid jaw portions adaptedto engage one edge of a rail base, and a somewhat resilient portionadapted to extend under the rail base and bear with resilient pressureagainst the other edge of the rail base.

A further ,object of the invention is the 4U provision of an anchordevice having a relatively rigid jaw and a spring tongue for engaging oposite edges of a rail, and to so form the anc or that the engagement'ofthis jaw and tongue with the rail will be confined 125 to portionsadjacent opposite edges of the rail base.

The invention further consists in such other new and improvedconstructions relatscribed and claimed for carrying out the above statedobjects, and such other objects as will appear from the followingdescription.

The invention is illustrated in certain preferred embodiments in theaccompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference designatecorresponding parts throughout the several figures thereof, and where-Fig. 1 is a front View in elevation of a rail anchor device constructedin accordance with my invention, shown applied to the base ,flange of arail, said base flange of the rail being shown in cross-section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of amodified form of .rail anchor constructed in accordance with myinvention; and

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the modified construction shown inFig. 3, the base gauge of the rail being omitted in this re. glieferringfirst to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing: 10 designates the base portion ofa railway rail and 11 one of the cross-ties on which the rail issupported.

My improved anchor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing is made ofsheet metal, preferably spring steel, and is formed -at one end with ahook-shaped jaw portion 12 which engages the vertical and both the upperand lower surfaces of the rail base at one side of the rail, and at theother end with an upstanding lug Aor shoulder 13 adapted to engage thevertical surface of the rail base at the other side of the rail. The jawIportion 12 is provided with a lip 14 which projects over and bearsagainst the upper inclined surface of the rail base, the lower edge 15of the lip being cut at an angle corresponding to the inclination of theupper surface of the base flange of the rail. The lower edge of the lip14 is provided with a recess 16 so as to prevent en agement of the lipwith the upper corner ol the rail base, thereby insuring against thepossibility p 10 cessive distortion.

5 assumed by/the anchor rail base,

5 16, the jaw may be made relatively rigid yet possessed of suicientresiliency to permit its application to rails made within the allowablevariation in thickness of their base Hang-es withoutl sub'ecting7 thejaw to ex- 'l`he vertical edge 17 of the jaw preferably, though notnecessarily, engages the vertical surface of the rail base. i In ordervto minimize the flexing of the jaw portion during the application ofthe anchor to a rail, and to relieve it of the severe strains incidentto such iexing, I preferably make the shoulder 13 relatively short andMdecrease the width of the body 18 of thev body adjacent the shoulder 13will be more flexible than the portion of the body adjacent thejaw endofthe anchor. With will flex on a horizontal axis when the jaw 12 isdriven to its rail-gripping position. As soon as the shoulder 13 clearsthe either edge of the rail-base,. it will snap, into the position shownin Fig. 1. l

The upper edge of the body 18 is preferably recessed, as indicated at19,2.soas to avoid improper. engagement of the anchor with the rail inthe event that the bottom surface'f the rail is formed with rough oruneven Ysurface at the point where the anchor is applied- The relativelywide portion of the body adjacent the jaw end 12 provides a suitable tieabutting surface.

.In applying the anchor to a rail, the jaw portion is hooked over oneedge of the rail 'base and the anchor then driven in the direction .ofits length across the rail until the shoulder 13 snaps over the oppositeedge of the rail base. `In the various positions during the applicationto the Vrail until the shoulder 13 snaps over the opposite edgeof therail base, the narrowest portion of the body, g'eater flexibilityv thanthe jaw portion of t e anchor, will ilex downwardly and thereby minimizethe flexing strain on the jaw portion of the anchor.

`In Fi 3 and 4, I have shown a modified form o the invention made from asheet metal blank cut and bent to the form shown =in Fig..4. Thisembodiment of the invention consists of a flat body portion 20` adaptedto extend across the rail base, and is formed at one end with tworelativel rigid upstanding jaw portions 21, 22, having recees 23 whichreceive one edge of the rail base. The'jaw members 21 and 22 are adaptedto be driven to a tight gripping contact with the upper and lowersurfaces of the and the body portion 20 is adapted toward the shoulder13, so that the portion this construction, the body portion being ofmadera to flmction as a spring tongue to maintain es the device in its aplied position. The body portion is prefera ly bent upwardly toward therail and bears against lthe under surface of the rail near one edgethereof, thereby providin a space between the bottom sul face of t erail base and the body portion of the anchor which will prevent rough oruneven portions of the rail base interferiing with the properapplication of the an chor. The body portion decreases in width towardsone end, so as-to make it more ilexible at this end, and is providedwith an upstanding lip 24 whichl by reason of the resiliency of the bodyof the anchor snaps over the opposite edge of the rail base when theanchor is driven home. When the anchor is in its Iapplied position, oneof the upstanding jaw portions 21 or 22, as the case may be, will be inposition to bear against an 'adjacent cross-tie. By decreasing the widthof the body ortion 20, the end of the anchor adjacent te lip 24 is heldout of engagement with the tie,

thereby permitting the anchor to assume .a slight diagonal .posltionacross the rail base, if such position be necessary to take between thelip 24 and the vertical edges 25, 25 of the jaw portions 21, 22.

ilhis application is a division of my cofndingapplication Serial No.561,603, filed ay 17, 1922. The invention generic tothe up any clearance'two :pplications is claimed in .the parent case" o. .561,603 and notherein.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal 7 member provided at one endwithv a 'aw portion for engaging one edge of a rail base,

and at the other en with means for engaging the other edge of said railbase; a portion of the member intermediate said jaw and said means beingresilient and adapted to be flexeddownwardly during the application ofthe anchor to a rail.

2. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal member provided at one endwith a substantially rigid jaw portion for engagin one edge of a railbase and at the other vand with means for engaging the other edge ofsaid rail base, a fportion of the member intermediate said jaw and saidmeans being resilient and adapted to be flexed down-v wardly during theapplication of the anchor to a rail.

A one-piece rail anchor 'comprisin a sheet metal ,member recessed at oneemto provide a jaw vfor engaging one edge of a rail base and formed atthe other end with means for engaging the other edge of said rail base;a portion of the member intermediate said (jaw and said means beingresilient and a apted to be iexed downwardly duiil'ing the applicationof the anchor to a I.

4. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metalH member recessed at one endlto provide a 'said member intermediate said jaw and the essubstantially rigid jaw for engaging one edge of a rail base, androvided at the other end with a. shoulder or engaging the other edge ofsaid rail base; a portion of the member intermediate said jaw andshoulder being resilient and adapted tobe fiexed downwardly during theapplication of the. anchor to a rail.

5. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal member formed at one end witha substantially flat jaw portion adapted to be normally dis osededgewise with relation to the base of t e rail and engage the upper andlower surfaces of said base at one side -of the rail, and formed at theother end with a shoulder for engaging the other Side of said base; a.portion of said member intermediate said jaw and shoulder beingresilient and adapted to be flexed downwardly during the applicationof-the anchor to a rail.

6. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal member formed at one end witha substantially fiat jaw portion adapted to be normally disposededgewise with relation to the base of a rail and engage the upper andlower surfaces and the vertical ed e of said base at one side of therail, and ormed at the other end with a shoulder for engaging the otherside of said base; a portion of said member intermediate said jaw andshoulder being resilient and adapted to be flexed downwardly during theapplication of the anchor to a rail.

7. -A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal member formed at one end witha jaw portion for engaging one edge of a rail base, and at the other endwith means for engaging the other edge of said rail base; a portion ofsaid member intermediate said jaw and said means being formed to providegreater iexibility than said jaw portion, so as to relieve said jawportion of excessive strains during the application of the anchor to arail.

8. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal member formed at one end witha substantially fiat jaw portionadaptedto be normally disposededgewise'with relation to the base of a rail and engage the upper andVlower surfaces thereof; the portion of said member intermediate said jawand shoulder being formed to stand out of engagement with the rail baseso as to confine the engagement of said member with the rail base.

opposite end of said member being tapered in width to increase itslexibility.

10. A rail anchor comprising a. sheet metal member formed at one endwith a substantially iiat jaw portion adapted to be normally disposededgewise with relation to the base of a rail and engage the upper andlower surfaces thereof,.and formed at.

the other end `.with a shoulder for engaging the other edge of saidbase; the portion of said member intermediate said jaw andsaid shoulderbeing tapered in width toward one end of said member to increase itsexibility.

11. A rail anchor comprising a sheet metal member formed at one end witha substantially rigid jaw for engaging one edge of a rail base, andprovided at the other end with a shoulder for engaging the opposite edgeof said base, the portion intermediate said jaw and shoulder decreasingin cross-sectional area towards said abutment to increase thefiexibility of said member.

12. A rail anchor comprising a body formed at one end with a jaw portionwhich engages the upper surface and vertical edge of al rail base andformed at the other end with an abutment for engaging the opposite edgeof the rail base, said body being formed to flex downwardly during theapplication of the device to a, rail.

13. A rail anchor comprising a bodyA comprising a body formed at one endwith a jaw portion which engages the upper sur face and vertical edge ofa railv base, and formed at the other end with an abutment for theopposite edge of the rail base; said body decreasing in width towardsaid abutment and adapted to flex to relieve said jaw of excessivestrains during the application of the device to a rail and adapted toengage a small portion only of the under surface of said rail base forthe purpose described.

15. A rail anchor made of sheet metal formed at one end wit-h spacedupstanding jaw portions adapted to engage one edge of a rail base, andformed at the 'other end with an upstanding portion adapted to engagethe other edge of said rail base; said body portion being arranged tobear with its Hat side against the under surface ofthe rail base, andadapted to be exed during the application of the device to a rail.

16. A rail anchor made of sheet metal "its Hat side against the undersurface of the formed at one end with spaced upstandin rail base andadapted to be flexed du the jaw portions adapted to engage one edge oapplication ofthe device to a rail an the l0 a m11 base, and formed atthe other end upstanding jaw portion adjacent tine tie'be- 5 with anupstanding portion adapted Ito ening adapted to bear against thevertical face gage the other edge of said rail base, said of said tie. lg. body portion being arranged to bear with HAROLD G. WARR.

